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Post 28 Nov 2017, 16:19 • #1 
Sport
Joined: 10/23/17
Posts: 48
Location: US-MN
I know this may be an obvious question, but what is your best method to remove excess epoxy around guide wraps once it has hardened to get that nice clean look? Do most people just CAREFULLY trim with x acto knife/razor blade?

Any suggestions on the best way to get rid of build up inside the guide between the guide feet in snake type rods? That seems to creep in there on me when I use just a touch too much finish and it is a pain to trim out.

Thanks again!


Last edited by Zinny on 29 Nov 2017, 10:12, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 28 Nov 2017, 17:02 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
Remove the entire wrap. Do it over. Piecemeal repairs will never be satisfactory. It is better to live with it--you will soon forget all about it--than try to touch it up.


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Post 28 Nov 2017, 18:29 • #3 
Master Guide
Joined: 09/21/13
Posts: 704
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Zinny wrote:
That seems to creep in there on me when I use just a touch too much finish and it is a pain to trim out.

Don't use a touch too much epoxy. Once it's set, you cannot remove it cleanly. Whrlpool hit the nail on the head: start again.

The good news is that you can remove it while it's still liquid. Take as much epoxy off the brush as you can, then touch the brush to the offending area. The epoxy will bleed back into the brush away from the rod.

It's much better to apply several sparse coats than one or two thick ones. Using the method I've described of pulling epoxy back off the rod, you simply cannot take off too much.

Cheers,
Graeme


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Post 28 Nov 2017, 20:42 • #4 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 09/18/09
Posts: 5561
Location: Relocated to the Drought Stricken West.
Welcome to the world of rod building. Epoxy is a pain for this reason. less is more.


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Post 29 Nov 2017, 10:27 • #5 
Sport
Joined: 10/23/17
Posts: 48
Location: US-MN
Yeah, seems like by the time you ATTEMPT to clean it up you could have taken the guide off and re-wrapped in the same amount of time.

Less is more. That seems to be so true. Thanks Carl!

I posted another question about then the application of several lighter coats versus just one regarding cutting the epoxy with acetone or IP. Do you just use a very small amount of epoxy when you do several coats and/or do you "dilute" the epoxy with acetone to get a thinner coat.


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Post 29 Nov 2017, 19:29 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 09/18/09
Posts: 5561
Location: Relocated to the Drought Stricken West.
The parameters are:

Temperature (warm epoxy flows better, but cures faster)
Thinning: don't thin too much. Epoxy doesn't dry, it cures, so to much thinner causes problems.
Brand: choose a brand and learn how to use it and stick to it.
Application: if you're good, you can do it in one coat. Two coats seems reasonable to me. Three is too much. Don't plan on touch ups. Make one pass and let it be.
Mixing and pot life. Mix a small batch (using syringes). It is measured by volume not weight. Get the ratio exact. When it starts to thicken, mix up a new batch.

I battle with epoxy. It takes patience and precision. I could write a book on the mistakes I've made.


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Post 30 Nov 2017, 12:38 • #7 
Sport
Joined: 10/23/17
Posts: 48
Location: US-MN
Ugh, this latest rod is killing me! I mixed a batch of epoxy and thinned with Acetone and after two days it still was not dry. Clearly operator error. And then last night had it all perfectly on the rod, went out to get my kid, and when I came back the chuck had come off the turning mount and the rod was laying on the table. Strike two! Tonight HAS to be the charm!

Thanks for those tips. I THINK what I have found is the first round is thinned and put on just enough to saturate the threads and then follow it with a second coat non thinned. I am using Flex Coat lite.


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Post 30 Nov 2017, 15:17 • #8 
Master Guide
Joined: 09/21/13
Posts: 704
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Zinny wrote:
Thanks for those tips. I THINK what I have found is the first round is thinned and put on just enough to saturate the threads and then follow it with a second coat non thinned. I am using Flex Coat lite.

That's what I do. But "thinning" is with say 3 to 6 drops of acetone in a total of 4cc of resin.

I've found that I can get really good results by using a heat gun set to 90 C to both heat the epoxy (making it runnier) and blow it around to spread it evenly on the guide while it's turning on the dryer. They really help on long pieces of epoxy work.

Cheers,
Graeme


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Post 30 Nov 2017, 15:20 • #9 
Sport
Joined: 10/23/17
Posts: 48
Location: US-MN
Yeah, the batch that did not dry was SUPPOSE to be 1/3 resin, 1/3 hardener and 1/3 Acetone. SOMETHING went wrong. I will follow your approach of 2cc Resin, 2cc Hardener and 3-6 drops of Acetone.

THANKS!


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